How to Use This Curriculum

This curriculum is a tool for educators and other community-based instructors. It is designed to help students internalize positive values and develop skills that can guide them to become good decision makers, responsible for their personal health and well-being. Life at the CrossRoads reinforces what most parents and guardians teach in the home. Since sexual abstinence and fidelity are values consistent with prevailing cultural, religious, and ethical norms on a global level, Life at the CrossRoads assists parents and guardians as they guide their young adults through the maze of dangers that face them today—HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancy, alcohol and other drug use, and ever-increasing youth violence.

Uniquely designed to foster communication and strengthen relationships between adolescents and adults, the lessons in Life at the CrossRoads motivate young people to become persons of character. The curriculum focuses on what it means to be a person of character and how character is essential for a healthy life and fulfilling relationships. The lessons focus on imparting knowledge, fostering proper attitudes, and developing skills that help adolescents stand up against peer pressure and say “no” with confidence and tact. Discussions regarding how to deal with failure, finding courage to move toward success, and planning for the future help young people look at life realistically yet with vision.

Target Audience

While the target audience for Life at the CrossRoads is for 12- to 15-year-old students, the curriculum is in use in just as many senior high/secondary school classrooms.

Implementation of the curriculum

The Comprehensive curriculum is the complete 28 lessons. Life at the CrossRoads was originally designed to cover a full school year and to be taught over two semesters. This is still the most effective way to use the curriculum when teaching for maximum behavioral outcomes and establishing the kind of general knowledge that can have a significant impact on healthy decision making.